I. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to solar collectors and more particularly to solar collectors having a plurality of interlocking sections with heat conducting passageways formed integrally therewith.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Collectors usually consist of an insulated base plate, a transparent cover and the proper collector element placed in between them. The element is heated by the solar rays and cooled by a heat-carrier so that the useful heat can be brought to the user. Often water is used as the heat carrier and on a sunny day can be heated to the temperature of utility water. However, in central Europe there are many cloudy days, especially in Fall and Winter, in addition to which these days are shorter. In particular during these seasons the demand for heating is increased.
The invention comes from the realization that it is not necessary to achieve the maximum possible output from the solar collector during a sunny day. It is much more advantageous to waive the maximum output and on cloudy days remove the heat from the air as well.
This presupposes the use of heat pumps for creating a suitable temperature level. The solar collector should also be capable of not only adequately heating the heat carrier on sunny days but more importantly create a "reservoir" during cloudy days, whose temperature yet is not high enough for heating purposes or heating utility water, but from this reservoir enough heat can be pumped out, because (though not being a large mass for storing heat environal heat, for example from the air, can steadily enter therein.
The task which serves as the basis of the invention is to produce a solar collector which will provide a sufficiently warm heat-carrier on sunny days and on cloudy days such as in Fall and Winter, provide a heat reservoir that can be tapped by heat pumps to provide a suitable temperature level.